Kleiman



FLEXIBLE PACKING IN SUPPLEMENTAL SOCKET 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 2,1952 IN V EN TOR. H/JER) KLE/MA/V 4 TTOZA/E/J FLEXIBLE PACKING INSUPPLEMENTAL SOCKET 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 2, 1952 INVENTOR.A/LE/MAA/ ATTOQNEYS Feb. 21, 1956 Filed June 2, 1952' H. KLEIMAN PACKINGIN SUPPLEMENTAL SOCKET 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. A4422) KLE/M4 V ZQM MWNTQ/QMEXS The present invention relates to a construction for providingan effective liquid and airtight seal at the joints of telescoping pipesections. The invention is particularly adapted for use with thin-walledpipe sections of the type employed in the formation of sink traps andother similar household plumbing attachments.

The problem of producing an adequate air and water seal at the joints oftelescoping pipe sections such as are employed in large numbers in moreor less routine installations has long plagued the industry. Up untilthe present, proner joints were produced in a manner analogous to thesealing arrangements employed with heavy duty pipes. While this was nottoo onerous when comparatively thick walled pipes were used, itpresented manifold problems of fabrication and expense when thin-walledbrass tubing was employed for the fixtures in question. The conventionalsealing arrangements for joints of the type under discussion involvedproviding an external thread on the female telescoping section andutilizing a separate internally threaded adapter ring which would fitover and engage the male pipe section and, when threaded onto the femalepipe section, would compress a separate sealing ring against one or moreof the pipe sections in question and hold the pipe sections in place.When thick- Walled pipe was employed it was not too difiicult a mat terto provide an external thread on the female pipe section, but even thatrequired a separate machining operation. When thin-walled tubing isused, it is necessary to employ a separate externally threaded ringwhich is secured to the exterior of the open end of the female pipesection as by soldering or the like.

It will be appreciated that merely the use of a multiplicity ofindividual and separate parts, required even with thick-walled pipe,represents a serious expense factor and in addition requires thestocking'of a large number of items. When to this is added theconsideration that it is a particularly ticklish matter insofar asproduction at any appreciable rate is concerned to secure an externallythreaded ring onto the female telescoping tube section of thin-walledpipe, the disadvantages of the commonly'use'd joining and sealing arranements will be apparent. From the point of view of the plumber orinstaller, too, the sealing arrangement of the prior art has beenessentially unsatisfactory. A multiplicity of assembling and fittingoperations were required, most of which had to be performed step-Wise ifthe various pipes were to be properly aligned and interfitted.Manufacturing variations often necessitated the trial and error use ofa. number of adapter rings in order to match screw threads and eliminatethose whose threads were stripped. Even after the pipes had beenproperly assembled, it was sometimes necessary to completely disassemblethem through no' fault of the plumber but solely because the externallythreaded ring on the outside of the female pipe section was improperlysoldered to the pipe section and hence did-not hold'water. Nevertheless,over a period of many years the industry has adopted such arrangements,even though their unsuitability for use with thin-walled tubing, andtheir disadvantages even when used with thick-walled tubing, have beenapparent and well realized by the art.

I have devised a sealing arrangement which avoids the abovedisadvantages and which is particularly well adapted for use withthin-walled tubing because of the readiness with which annular recessesmay be formed in such tubing. My arrangement has, however, manifestadvantages even when used With thick-walled tubing. In particular,iteliminates all separate parts other than the pipes themselves, andrequires only the most rudimentary and easily accomplished assemblingand disassembling operations. The telescoping pipe sections carry, as afixed part thereof, the cooperating sealing instrumentalities. Nothreading operations are required. When a normal seal is desired allthat the Workman must do is telescope the pipe sections. They willremain assembled and Will provide a first class seal, but can beseparated if desired through the use of an appropriate tool. If anextremely strong seal is desired, the female telescoping pipe sectionmay be inwardly deformed, through the use of a simple rolling tool.

The invention resides in the particular construction of the telescopingpipe sections and to the use in conjunction therewith of a sealing ringwhich engages the inner opposed surfaces of the telescoping pipesections so as to define a seal therebetween. It is appreciated that itis old to use sealing rings in various applications. However, by reasonof the particular pipe structures here employed the use of a sealingring for the purposes and with the advantages above set forth isrendered feasible from a production and assembly point of view.

In one embodiment, the sealing ring is mounted within an annular recessextending around one of the opposed surfaces of the telescoping pipesections and extends out from that recess so as to engage the opposedsurfaces of the other pipe section when the pipes are telescoped, thesealing ring being compressed when it engages with said other opposedsurfaces so as to define the seal. The compressive force issufiici'ently great so as to prevent separation of the telescoping pipesections except when a special tool is employed, interengaging flangesand beads being provided between which that tool may be inserted when itis desired to separate the pipes. A particularly advantageousmodification of this embodiment involves the employment,- in the secondmentioned opposed surface, of another annular recess, preferably smallerthan the first, into which a portion'of the sealing ring is receivedwhen the pipe sections are telescoped. This modification is particularlyuseful where one of the pipe sections is to be rotatably adjusted Withrespect to the other. A still further modification, through the use of asealing ring of novel configuration in conjunction with the speciallydesigned annular recesses into which that ring is received, produces avery strong seal, permits the pipe sections to be readily telescopedwith respect to one another, yet resists and prevents their separationonce they have beenteles'coped. A second embodiment has the advantage ofproviding a much stronger seal, but has the disadvantage that when it isemployed the pipe sections are not readily separable. In this embodimentthe sealing ring is retained within an annular recess of appreciableaxial length, the sealing ring also having an appreciable axial length,and after the pipes are telescoped the other pipe section is deformedinto the sealing ring, this being readily accomplished through the useof a conventional rolling tool.

To the accomplishment of the above and to such other objects as mayhereinafter appear the present invention relates to a pipe sealingstructure as defined in the following claims and as described in thisspecification, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevational view on a reduced scale of the presentinvention embodied in a sink trap;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational exploded view, partially broken away,showing the construction involved;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the pipe sections intelescoped position;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale showing the mannerin which the seal is produced at the left hand end of the J-bend;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale showing the mannerin which the seal is achieved at the right hand end of the J-bend;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a different embodiment ofthe invention;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 but showing the pipe sections intelescoped position and with the female pipe section rolled inwardly;

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale showing the mannerin which the seal is produced in the embodiment of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale showing stillanother embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 10 is a cross sectional view showing the embodiment of Fig. 9 whilethe two pipe sections are in the process of being telescoped withrespect to one another; and

Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view showing the embodiment of Fig. 9 whenan attempt is made to separate the two pipe sections.

The invention is here specifically disclosed as embodied in a sink trap,said trap consisting of a J-bend 2 into the long arm of which a tailpiece 4 is telescoped and into the short arm of which a wall or floorbend 6 is telescoped. All of the pipes are made of thin walled brasstubing. By way of example, the thickness of the tube walls may bebetween .022 inch and .045 inch. The tail piece 4 leads from the drainof the sink 8 into the J-bend 2, and the wall or floor bend 6 leads fromthe J-bend 2 to the sewer. in making installations of this type ofplumbing fixture the point at which the wall or floor bend 6 passesthrough the wall or floor of the room will differ from room to room andconsequently the wall or floor bend 6 must be rotatable with respect tothe J-bend 2, at least prior to final assembly.

Having reference first to the long arm of the J-bend 2, the upperextremity 10 of that arm is belted out so as to define an outer orfemale section into which the depending end section 12 of the tail piece4 is telescopably receivable, the pipe sections 10 and 12 defining outerand inner telescoping pipe sections respectively having inwardly andoutwardly facing opposed surfaces 14 and 16. In order to produce properalignment of the pipes and to facilitate the attainment of a properseal, the telescoping pipe sections 10 and 12 are adapted to fit fairlysnugly.

The inner surface 14 of the pipe section 10 is provided with an annularrecess 18 in which a sealing ring 20 is received, the major portion ofthe sealing ring being retained within the recess 18 but a portion ofthe sealing ring 20 extending inwardly beyond the inner surface 14 ofthe pipe section 10 so that when the inner pipe section 12 is telescopedwith respect to the outer pipe section 10 the sealing ring 20 willengage with the outer surface 16 of the inner pipe section 12 and willbe deformed or compressed thereby, thus forming a seal around the pipejoint. While a wide variety of materials can be used for the sealingring 20, I have found that a resilient material such as that syntheticrubber which is sold commercially under the trade name neoprene givesvery good results. The size of the sealing ring 20 and the annularrecess 18 may be varied over wide limits, and the larger these elementsare the better is the seal produced. For example, with a sealing ring 20having a diameter of A; inch and with a correspondingly dimensionedrecess 18, a seal is produced merely by telescoping the two pipesections 10 and 12 which is capable of withstanding a pressure of tenpounds per square inch of air without leakage, while when the sealingring and the annular recess have a diameter of inch, an air pressure ofapproximately 40 pounds per square inch is retained. The hardness of thesealing ring also plays a part in the effectiveness of the sealingaction, the harder the ring the greater the pressure which can becontained thereby. However, it will be understood that the sealing ring20 must be sufficiently soft so that the pipe sections 10 and 12 may betelescoped without damage or deformation. It will also be understoodthat although the sealing ring 20 is illustrated in Figs. 15 as beingcircular in cross section, that configuration is not essential. Tospecify only a few examples of the many shapes which are permissible,the ring 20 could have an elliptical or even substantially rectangularcross section and could extend for a substantial distance axially of thepipe sections 10 and 12.

Because of the firmness with which the sealing ring 20 grips the outersurface 16 of the inner pipe section 12, special means must be providedfor facilitating the separation of the tail piece 4 from the J-bend 2when that is required. Therefore the upper end of the outer pipe section10 is provided with an outwardly projecting flange 22 formed by rollingthe thin material of which the pipe is formed, and the tail piece 4 isprovided with a head 24 at the top of the telescoping section 12, thehead 24 also being formed integrally with the side walls of the pipeitself. The bead 24 is adapted to engage and seat on top of the flange22 when the pipe sections 10 and 12 are telescoped. This serves to limitthe relative positions of the pipe sections 10 and 12 when theyaretelescoped, and further provides means by which the pipe section 12can be withdrawn from the pipe section 10, a tool of progressivethickness being interposed between the flange 22 and head 24 so as topry or wedge the pipe section 12 axially out of the pipe section 10.

The construction shown at the short arm of the J-bend 2 represents amodification of that just described, said modification beingparticularly adapted for use where one of the pipes, such as the wall orfloor bend 6, must be rotatably adjustable with respect to the J-bend 2.There the outer surface 16 of the inner telescoping pipe section 12' isitself provided with an annular recess 26 adapted, when the head 24'seats on the flange 22 and fixes the telescoped positions of the pipesections 10' and 12', to register with the annular recess 18' in whichthe sealing ring 20' is received and retained. Hence that portion of thesealing ring 20 which extends inwardly from the inner surface 14 of theouter pipe section 10 is received and compressed within the recess 26.Because the sealing ring 20' will'not be compressed or deformed to asgreat a degree as the sealing ring 20, the inner pipe section 12' willnot be as strongly frictionally held as was the inner pipe section 12,and consequently the pipe section 12' can be rotated about its axis withrespect to the pipe section 10' more readily than was the case with thepipe section 12. The sealing effect of the ring 20' is not materiallyadversely affected because of the sinuous path along which it engagesthe outer surface 16' of the inner pipe section 12. In order to furtherimprove the sealing action it is preferred that the recess 26 be smallerthan the recess 18, thus giving rise to increased compression ordeformation of the sealing ring 20' therewithin. For example, if therecess 18' should have a diameter of inch, the recess 26 might have adiameter on the order of A inch. The pipe sections 10' and 12' areadapted to be separated in the same manner as the pipe sections 10 and12.

The mode of connection illustrated in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 will produce amuch stronger seal, capable of containing air pressures on the order ofseveral hundred pounds per square inch. According to that constructionthe outer surfaces 16 and 16' of the inner pipe sections 12 and 12'respectively are provided with annular recesses 28 and 28' respectivelywhich have an appreciable width in the direction of the axes of the pipesections, and a fiat sealing ring 30, also of appreciable width, isreceived and retained within each of the respective recesses 28 and 28'.The thickness of the sealing rings 30 is such, in conjunction with thedepth of the recesses 28 and 28, that the outer surfaces of the sealingrings 30 are substantially flush with the outer surfaces 16 and 16'.Hence telescoping of the inner pipe sections 12 and 12' with respect tothe outer pipe sections and 10' is facilitated. The degree oftelescoping movement is limited by the engagement of the lower end ofthe inner pipe sections 12 and 12' with the shoulders 32 and 32' formedat the bottom of the outer pipe sections 10 and 10' where they join thebody of the J-bend 2. After the tail piece 4 and the wall or floor bend6 have had their sections 12 and 12 respectively telescoped into theouter sections 10 and 10' respectively of the J-bend 2, those outersections 10 and 10' are rolled inwardly along a line in registrationwith the sealing rings 30, the thin walled material of the pipes inquestion facilitating this operation, which may be carried out by anyconventional rolling tool. As is clearly shown in Fig. 8, the inwardlyrolled or deformed portions 34 of the outer pipe sections 19 and 10themselves have an appreciable width, although less than andsymmetrically arranged with respect to the recesses 28 and 28'. Theyengage with and deform and compress the sealing ring 30, thus producingan extremely effective seal. However, because the inner and outerdiameters of the telescoping pipe sections are closely the same, theinwardly rolled portions 34 of the outer pipe sections 10 and 10 ineffect interlock with the recesses 28 and 28, thus preventingdisassembly of the joined pipe sections.

The embodiment of Figs. 9-11 is also specifically designed for heavyduty installations and is capable of containing air pressures on theorder of 200 pounds per square inch without leakage. It has theadvantage over that disclosed in Figs. 6-8 that the pipes can beassembled and the seal produced merely by telescoping one pipe withinthe other. The outer pipe section 110 has an annular recess 118 in itsinwardly facing surface 114, said recess being defined by side wall 136and top and bottom walls 138 and 140 respectively which extendsubstantially at right angles from the side wall 136 so as to defineledges on which the upper and lower ends of the sealing ring 120 areadapted to seat. The sealing ring 120 is essentially triangular inshape, having a wide base 142 and a narrow upper portion 144, theinwardly extending surface 146 being upwardly and outwardly inclinedfrom the base 142 to the upper portion 144. The outwardly disposedsurface 148 of the sealing ring 121), which surface opposes the sidewall 136 of the recess 118, is concave, so as to define an annular gapbetween the wall 136 and the surface 148. The base 142 of the sealingring 129 is considerably wider than the depth of the recess 118, andconsequently when the sealing ring 1213 is placed in the recess 118 thebase 142 will extend inwardly Well beyond the inner opposed surface 114of the pipe section 110. The sealing ring base 142 is adapted to rest onthe bottom wall 140 of the recess 118, and if desired the upper end 144of the sealing ring 120 may be somewhat short of the top wall 138 of therecess 118, thus allowing some axial play of the sealing ring 120 withinthe recess 118.

The inner pipe section 112 has a leading end which is inwardly taperedat 150, the inwardly tapered portion 151) being adapted to seat on theshoulder 132 formed at the bottom of the outer pipe section 110, thuslimiting the degree of telescoping motion of the pipe sections and 112.The pipe section 112 is also provided with an annular recess 126 in theouter opposed surface 116 thereof, said recess being defined by a bottomwall 152 which extends substantially at right angles to the wall of thepipe section 112 so as to define a ledge, and an upwardly and outwardlytapered side wall 154 which merges with the inner pipe section 112 atits upper extremities. The inclination of the side recess wall 154 issimilar to that of the side surface 146 of the sealing ring 120, therecess 126 being so positioned on the inner pipe section 112 that it isin registration with the recess 118 when the pipe sections 110 and 112have been completely telescoped.

As may be seen from Fig. 10, when the pipe sections 1113 and 112 arebeing assembled the inwardly tapered end 150 of the inner pipe section112 will engage the outer surface 146 of the sealing ring 120 andcompress it outwardly with a cam action. Since the sealing ring 120 isof an appreciable size, being for example /2 inch in length and inch atits point of maximum thickness, the compressive effect will be marked.However, the telescoping action is permitted because the sealing ring120 will be deformed so as to fill up the gap which previously existedbetween the recess side wall 118 and the concave sealing ring surface148. In addition, the sealing ring 120 may also expand axially in anupward direction.

When the pipe section 112 has been fully telescoped with respect to thepipe section 110 the bottom wall 152 of the recess 126 will be oppositethe bottom wall of the recess 118 and the sealing ring 120 will thenresiliently resume its original shape, the sealing ring base 142extending across the seam between the pipe sections 110 and 112 and theinner surface 146 of the sealing ring 121) engaging the wall 154 of therecess 126, the outer edges of the sealing ring 120 engaging wallportions of the recess 118 so as to define a seal. If pressure shoulddevelop within the pipe sections, that pressure, in tending to escapebetween the pipe sections, must act upwardly through the seam betweenthe pipe sections and against the base 142 of the sealing ring 120. Thisforce will therefore urge the sealing ring upwardly, and this in turnwill result in increased compression of the sealing ring 120 within thetapered channel which houses it. Thus despite the fact that the sealingring 120 may be somewhat loosely received in the recess 118, it iscapable of effective sealing action against pressures of appreciablemagnitude, the se'aling ring 120 automatically adapting itself to thepressure exerted thereon so as to produce an appropriate sealing effect.

Fig. 11 illustrates the position which the various parts of thisembodiment assume when it is attempted to separate the pipe sections 110and 112. The ledge-like bottom wall 152 of the recess 126 engages thebase 142 of the sealing ring 120 and axially compresses the ring 120,the ring thus resisting the movement of the pipe section 112 so as toprevent its separation from the pipe section 110.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the sealproduced in the embodiment of Figs. 1-5, which is capable ofwithstanding 10 pounds per square inch or more of air pressure, isentirely adequate for plumbing installations of the type underdiscussion, and the seal produced in the embodiments of Figs. 6-11,which are capable of withstanding air pressures on the order of 100pounds per square inch or more, are suitable for use even in many socalled heavy-duty installations. As sembly of pipe sections according tothe embodiment of Figs. 15 is an extremely simple matter--the pipesections need merely be telescoped with respect to one another. In theembodiments of Figs. 6-8 another simple operation is required, to wit,the rolling in of a portion of the outer pipe sections 10 or 10. In theembodiment of Figs. 9-11 only a telescoping action is required. Infabrication of the pipe sections of any of the embodiments, all that isnecessary is to insert the packing ring 18, 18', 30 or 120 in itsappropriate recess. No loose parts, such as the gaskets and adaptorrings of the prior art, need be employed. No complicated and troublesomeassembling operations, such as the soldering of externally threadedrings to the ends of the tubing, is involved. A measure of theimportance of the constructions here described from a production pointof view can be gleaned from the fact that for a single sink trapassembly comprising a J-bend, tail piece and wall or floor bend, asaving of as much as thirty cents per unit is realized through thepractice of the instant invention, this saving being a substantialproportion-almost 25% of the cost of the entire unit.

It will be understood that many variations may be made in the details ofthe instant invention without departing from the spirit thereof, asdefined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A sink trap comprising a J-bend pipe and a communicating pipe, bothbeing of one-piece construction, formed of thin-walled tubing and onebeing telescopable with respect to the other, the inner and outertelescoping pipe sections having outwardly and inwardly facing opposedsurfaces respectively with substantially the same diameter so as to be asnug fit one within the other, said opposed surfaces each having aregistering annular recess of fixed dimension therearound each openingtoward the other, and a ring of sealing material in one of said recessesand projecting out therefrom toward said other recess and compressivelyreceived therein so as to seal the joint between said two pipe sectionswhen they are telescoped, the outer telescoping pipe section being widerthan the remainder of the pipe of which it is a part, an internalabutment being defined at its point of junction with said remainder ofsaid pipe, the end of said inner telescoping pipe section engaging saidabutment when said sections are telescoped and when said annularrecesses. are in registration, said engagement defining a ground seal,said annular recess in the outer of said opposed surfaces beingelongated in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said surfaces,said sealing ring also being elongated in said direction, the outersurface of said sealing ring which is received within said annularrecess being provided with a groove extending around said ring, anannular opening thus being defined between said outer ring surface andthe inwardly facing surface of said recess.

2. The plumbing fixture of claim 1, in which the inner side surface ofsaid sealing ring inclines generally inwardlyin the direction oftelescoping motion of said inner pipe section, and in which the leadingside surface of said inner pipe section is inwardly tapered.

3. A sink trap comprising a J-bend pipe and a communicating pipe, bothbeing of one-piece construction, formed of thin-walled tubing and onebeing telescopable with respect to the other, the inner and outertelescoping pipe sections having outwardly and inwardly facing opposedsurfaces respectively with substantially the same diameter so as to be asnug fit one Within the other, said opposed surfaces each having aregistering annular recess of fixed dimension therearound each openingtoward the other, and a ring of sealing material in one of said recessesand projecting out therefrom toward said other recess and compressivelyreceived therein so as to seal the joint between said two pipe sectionswhen they are telescoped, said sealing ring having a shape in crosssection which is tapered toward the open end of said outer pipe section,one of said recesses being tapered corresponding to the taper of saidsealing rings, whereby pressure of said ring in the direction of theopen end of said outer pipe section by fluid entering through the seambetween said telescoping pipe sections will cause said ring to becomemore compressed and thus will increase its effective sealing action,said sealing ring being received within the recess in said outer pipesection, the side surface of said ring within said recess being concaveso as to define a gap between said side surface and the side Wall ofsaid recesses, the end of said inner pipe section being inwardly taperedso as to define a cam surface adapted to compress said ring as said pipesections are telescoped, said gap facilitating outward deformation ofsaid ring during the telescoping movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS332,035 Bagaley Dec. 8, 1885 906,849 Baashuus Dec. 15, 1908 1,123,705Dehn Ian. 5, 1915 1,450,956 Gottsch Apr. 10, 1923 1,538,007 Schellin May19, 1925 2,453,391 Whittingham Nov. 9, 1948 2,457,105 Patterson Dec. 21,1948 2,457,908 Meyerhoeffer Jan. 4, 1949 2,562,014 Buhayar July 24, 1951

